A night in Casablanca

Men strutted across the stage in thick blue and white turbans with long swords slung around their waists. Women in the fashion show wore sequined scarves and long teal dresses covered with sheer robes. Next up, dances by Collage Dance Ensemble, choreographed by Ronit Tamir. In their first piece, ...

Men strutted across the stage in thick blue and white turbans with long swords slung around their waists. Women in the fashion show wore sequined scarves and long teal dresses covered with sheer robes. Next up, dances by Collage Dance Ensemble, choreographed by Ronit Tamir. In their first piece, “Psiphas,” women in long black skirts ran through a curtain made by men holding five tallit. At the Mimouna celebration Saturday night, more than 500 Muslims, Jews and other community members packed the rooms at Arts at the Armory in Somerville for a centuries-old interfaith Moroccan tradition marking the end of Passover. As people watched a host of performances on stage in the main hall, upstairs on a mezzanine, people feasted on moufleta (crepes with honey), pita bread, hummus, carrots, eggplant salad, tabouli and mint tea.“It’s a moment for the community to come together,” said Eva Heinstein, co-director of Prism, the young-adult network of the New Center for Arts and Culture, who heard about Mimouna from her mother, who is Moroccan, and moved to Israel when she was young. The night was co-sponsored by Prism, a Jewish arts group, and the American Islamic Congress. To read the rest of the story, visit www.TheJewishAdvocate.com.